A New Mexico pottery dealer cracks a perplexing mystery in this "winning blend of humor and character development" (Publishers Weekly). Hubert Schuze is an adjunct professor at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, and he has a fairly lucrative side gig digging up ancient relics and selling them. He also seems to have a talent for finding killers. When Hubie discovers a body outside his pottery shop, it appears the victim was stabbed in the back with something resembling a screwdriver. But the story gets a lot more mysterious when a video turns up showing the man collapsing with no one else nearby. Furthermore, a slip of paper is found in his pocket, with Hubie's name and address on it, suggesting there may be a connection between the two men—though Hubie has no idea what it could be. Now, the professor and pottery expert must put his sleuthing skills to work—while simultaneously managing his new role running the...

America's favorite pot thief must face off against the US Army to rescue a precious relic from obscurity A dealer in traditional Native American pottery, Hubie Schuze scours New Mexico in search of ancient treasures. The Bureau of Land Management calls him a criminal, but Hubie knows that the real injustice would be to leave the legacies of prehistoric craftspeople buried in the dirt. In all his travels across the state, there is one place that Hubie hasn't been able to access: Trinity Site at the White Sands Missile Range, where the first atomic bomb was detonated. Deep within the range are ruins once occupied by the Tompiro Indians, whose distinctive pottery is incredibly rare and valuable. When an old associate claims to have a buyer interested in spending big money on a Tompiro pot, Hubie resolves to finally find a way into the heavily guarded military installation. But Hubie has more on his mind than just outwitting the army's most...

Hubie Schuze must solve the case of a $25,000 pot theft—or he could be in deep troubleA dealer of ancient Native American pottery, Hubert Schuze has spent years combing the public lands of New Mexico, digging for artwork that would otherwise remain buried. According to the US government, Hubie is a thief—but no act of Congress could stop him from doing what he loves. For decades, Hubie has worn the title of pot thief proudly. Outright burglary, though, is another story.But an offer of $25,000 to lift a rare pot from a local museum proves too tempting for Hubie to refuse. When he sees how tightly the relic is guarded, he changes his mind, but the pot goes missing anyway. Soon a federal agent suspects that Hubie is the culprit. After things take a turn for the serious, Hubie knows he must find the real thief quickly, or risk cracking something more fragile than any pot—his skull.

Old Town Albuquerque potter and merchant, Hubie Schuze agrees to create unique chargers for the table settings in a soon-to-open restaurant. The fee is too enticing to pass up, although the restaurateur is not negotiable on the potting site...the plates must be made at the restaurant in Santa Fe. Grumbling about forfeiting the comforts of his tailor-made shop and home, Hubie arranges for his absence, packs his equipment into his Bronco and heads to Santa Fe... Once onsite, Hubie is immersed in the politics, procedures and polemics of the restaurant business. Things quickly spiral out of control at Schnitzel, forcing the eatery to close its doors after the first night. Unwilling to cede defeat, Hubie rallies the troupe and they reopen with a Mexican-Austrian fusion menu.The reviews are rave and the money rolls in, but soon Hubie is faced with that old prophecy ...no good deed goes unpunished.About the Author: On the day Mike Orenduff got his drivers license, his father gave him a 1950 Oldsmobile coupe that stranded him in so many New Mexico towns that he got to know every mechanic south of Truth or Consequences. By the time he entered graduate school at the University of New Mexico, he and his wife Lai were driving a more reliable car - a 1965 Volkswagen Beetle - and they drove the wheels off it exploring the northern half of the state. His love of The Land of Enchantment is evident in his Pot Thief mysteries which have won The New Mexico Book of the Year Award, the national 'Eppie' award for best mystery, The Dark Oak Mystery Award, and Fiction Book of the Year from The Public Safety Writers Association. He enjoys hearing from his readers and can be contacted at ThePotThief@gmail.com

ReviewMike Orenduff's mysteries are intelligent, clever, and downright funny, with a spicy Old Town Albuquerque setting and plots as pungent and twisted as a chile ristra. I'm in love with Hubie Schuze--pot thief, shopkeeper, reluctant sleuth, and cook extraordinaire. A winning series! ----Susan Wittig Albert, author of the China Bayles mysteries...fun, amusing mysteries that allow readers to enter into the world of art and philosophy, science and murder. Mystery nuts will love the twists and turns of Hubert s dilemmas and Orenduff s fast but intricate plots that weave in New Mexico culture. Buy a Pot Thief Murder Mystery, grab a margarita, and read up! --Mirage, the University of New Mexico Alumni Magazine Product DescriptionMaybe it was the chance for an easy $2500. Or maybe it was the chance to examine a treasure trove of Anasazi pots...or maybe it was just a slow day at his Old Town Albuquerque shop that prompted Hubie Schuze to be blindfolded and chauffeured to meet a reclusive collector looking for a confidential appraisal. Sure, it was an odd setup, but what could possibly go wrong? Hubie's devil-may-care attitude fades fast when he finds three of his own Anasazi copies among the genuine antiquities. Worse, when the driver drops him back home, what he doesn't find are the twenty-five crisp hundred dollar bills the collector gave him. Incensed at the rip-off, Hubie is determinded to recoup his cash, burt Detective Whit Fletcher interrupts, dragging Hubie to the morgue to identify a John Doe. When the sheet is pulled back, Hubie is stunned to see the collector. Hubie is not a suspect - yet. But the longer he persues his missing appraisal fee, the more tangled he becomes in the collector's shadowy life.